


Old Friends and New.

by malfoible



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Now You See Me (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Background Relationships, Fluff, Humor, Mistaken Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 05:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8000128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malfoible/pseuds/malfoible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor centric. Thor is miserable on Mitgard. He drives cross country to clear his head. He meets a friend, or maybe not. Who is making Daniel Atlas jealous?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Friends and New.

Thor was depressed, unused to introspection, the feelings swamped him. 

This past year he had so much time to think, too much time…not doing anything…but think…  
Mitgard wasn’t a very exciting place to live.

Oh, yes occasionally, there was a battle to be fought, but on a day to day basis there was not much going on.  
He missed his old gang, the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.  
The Avengers were all well and good but they sometimes forgot about him altogether.  
There had been a fight recently, he had not been informed till afterwards.  
When Barton had explained to him, Thor had been puzzled.  
Stark and Rogers falling out, their friendship could move mountains, win wars, fight off alien hordes.  
He was saddened by the whole thing.  
He missed fighting, but on this occasion was pleased he hadn’t to choose.  
Rogers was a soldier like himself, the urge would be to side with him, but Stark was a strong presence, impressive, a genius, his opinion must count.

He was bored. He loved Jane, loved spending time with her, but she was passionate about her work.  
She would follow any lead to help with her investigations even if she was away for days at a time.  
Thor missed Asgard, missed his old life, missed his friends, missed his mother, and most of all he missed Loki.  
Of course in the last couple of years he had turned out to be power mad and crazy, but growing up he had always been there for Thor.  
Teasing him, sparring with him, egging him on to try harder, to succeed.  
Most of Thor’s adventures had come about because he liked his brother’s admiration.  
He liked to see his brothers face when he won a fight, or a race.

He spent too much time alone here, he was used to noise and laughter and fighting.  
On Asgard he spent all day with people, mealtimes were loud, celebrations were plenty.  
He had people to laugh with…to sing with.  
He spent most of the time here watching TV, there was nothing like it on Asgard.

There seemed to be two kinds of people here in Mitgard.  
A group called x-perts who told others how to live, and everyone else, who couldn’t seem to decorate a home or cook a meal or even pick out a dress without the x-perts help. He shook his head perplexed.  
Even the lowliest Asgardian could cook and hunt and fend for themselves.

He tried to explain to Jane but she only laughed. “It’s only TV, it’s not real. Don’t watch.”

There wasn’t much else to do to fill the day.  
He tried talking to people as he walked about but no-one ever seemed to want to sit and listen to tales of his battles.

He had the Avengers, of course, but even they had changed.  
The camaraderie had gone to be replaced with suspicion.  
Banner had disappeared and Romanov was wholly concerned with the new Avengers facility. She had no time for him.  
He was feeling sorry for himself, he felt as he did the first time his father had banished him here without Mjolnir.  
He said so to Jane who was packing for a trip.

She leaned up and kissed him.” You just need to find something to do, a job maybe, or a hobby?”

Thor frowned.” What job would I do? What is a hobby?”

Jane grinned, she could see him in an agency looking for a job. “What have you done previously, Mr Thor?”

“Prince of Asgard.” 

She kissed his cheek. “Or take a trip. You’ve never seen much of the States, hire a car, drive across the country , get to know the land, the people.” 

Two days later after, she had flown off again with Darcy, he was working out at the gym in Stark’s building when Tony came to join him.  
He mentioned to Tony about hiring a car and driving cross-country.  
Tony talked about Route Sixty-six. “Everyone wanted to do this when I was growing up. Mostly on a Harley.”

“What’s a Harley? A beast to ride? A Motor-vehicle?” 

“Big bad-ass motorcycle, ever ridden one?”

Thor shook his head and Tony looked him over. “You’d like it, but maybe a car would be better, take one of mine. They have G.P.S.”

“G.P.S?” 

“Better than a map. For finding your way. It will show you the whole route.”

Three days later he was driving, he had three speeding tickets before he had even left the state.

The third time he was pulled over, an admiring young police officer, explained in detail all the rules of the road.  
A blinding smile from Thor was his reward.

Thor set off again, happier now.

The first night he pulled in to a small motel on the outskirts of Chicago.  
He rang Jane, delighted to be able to tell her he had arrived and how well his journey was going.  
He headed for St Louis the next day. Thanks to Jane, he had motels or hotels booked in all the large cities he passed through.

By the time he reached Albuquerque his spirits had lifted. He enjoyed driving, wind whistling through his hair

People on the road were friendlier than they seemed in the city.  
Stopping at a roadhouse for lunch, folk were happy to chat, especially when he told them what he was doing.  
Thor liked meeting new people, liked talking, liked sitting at the counter eating with others. He was not used to being alone.  
The nights in the hotels were not so good. Sometimes he would get to talk to Jane, other times she would be unavailable or out of range of a cell tower.

He spent this time with the TV on, wondering how he, Thor, Prince of Asgard had come to this?  
Perhaps Jane was right he should look for work.  
He was puzzled as to what kind of work he could do here.  
A conversation next day with a large group of guys in a bar helped him focus.

“Big guy like you should be a fighter, a wrestler, there’s good money in it. Ever done any fighting?”

This gave Thor the chance to relive and relate some of his best battles.  
Perhaps the group listening could hardly believe or understand half of what he said, but the fact that he was buying all the beer, encouraged them to stay and listen.  
Thor slept easy that night, content.

He was almost at the end of his Journey.  
He pulled into Kingman late one Friday evening, ready for a hot bath and some dinner, lots of dinner, he was starving.

Jane had booked him into an attractive hotel.  
A large Route Sixty-six sign hung over the restaurant and bar.  
Thor enjoyed a good soak, then a fast, cold, shower to wake him up.  
He dressed casually and made his way to the bustling dining room.  
He was being shown to his table when a familiar figure caught his eye.

He turned, calling, “Banner, my old friend, we thought you were lost. I’m delighted to see you and in such a fine condition.”  
He hugged the man to him, lifting him from his chair and kissing each cheek.

 

J. Daniel Atlas made his way to the dining room.

It had taken his a while to get here.  
Three changes of clothes had taken some time.  
Even now he wasn’t sure about this outfit.

Merritt had looked him up and down. “Are you sure about that Danny boy?”  
Daniel had almost turned and run back into his bedroom, but Lula had punched Merritt and Jack had shouted ‘ignore him.’  
Then Merritt had grinned, “Only joking you look…gorgeous… go get him.”

“I’m not…we’re..not…Oh fuck it.” Danny had finally nodded and left the room.

The lift stopping at each floor had his nerves jangling.  
Was this a mistake?  
What had Dylan meant by asking him to dinner?  
Nothing? Something?  
Then there had been the kiss…or almost a kiss…no it was a kiss..but so soft and fleeting Danny could have thought he’d imagined it.  
Except that his lips had burned for hours afterwards.  
He’d tossed and turned, did Dylan have a plan?  
Of course he had a plan, he always had a fucking plan.  
Was he trying to seduce Danny?  
Well he wouldn’t have to try to hard Danny was half in love…NO, NO, NO stop thinking about that…Just a date that’s all…just dinner… 

He paused in the doorway and scanned the room.  
His eyes were attracted to an enormous blond, well, hunk, holding a smaller man in a bear hug.  
Danny’s feet melded to the floor, he couldn’t move backwards or forwards.  
His main urge was to run but he couldn’t.  
The man the blond was hugging was Dylan.  
Jealousy and anguish rushed through him in a wave, then anger took over.

Had Dylan orchestrated this?  
To show Danny he was out of his league, that Dylan could have anyone?  
Had Dylan arranged this to chase Danny away, to show he meant nothing?  
Danny looked around frantically, still frozen to the floor, he wanted to poke his eyes out.

Then Dylan saw him and waived him over.  
Oh, now, his treacherous feet worked.  
He walked towards the couple.

Dylan sighed with relief, he had been trying to explain to the blond giant that he wasn’t his missing friend, this Mr Banner. 

“Danny please tell this guy who I am. Tell him my real name. He thinks I’m somebody else.”

Thor put Dylan down. 

“His name is Dylan Shrike, he’s my…”Danny wasn’t sure of what to say.  
The feelings that had come to the surface while stuck in the doorway almost overwhelmed him.  
Words flashed through his mind, what could he say…friend…boyfriend…lover…boss…Boss…boss was safe…? ”He’s my Boss.”

“Not Doctor Banner.” Thor shook his head puzzled. “You look so like him. He’s been missing for a while. I apologise.  
I will leave you to have your dinner.” Thor shook Dylan’s hand and walked away to his table.

Dylan leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Danny’s cheek. “Thank you, and thank you for coming.”  
Danny fought for control. The kiss surprised him and coming on top of everything he’d felt in the past five minutes, he struggled a little.

A few deep breaths later he picked up the wine glass from the table and took a large swallow.  
“Glad to help. You are sure, are you? That you’re not this Dr. Banner I mean.”

Dylan grinned. “I swear, I wouldn’t lie to you.”  
Danny choked on his wine, and Dylan grinned again.  
“Well I promise I won’t lie to you tonight, ask me anything?”  
“Anything, wow, you must be feeling confident?”  
“I’m confident in my ability to answer truthfully any question you ask me tonight. But make sure you ask the right ones.”  
He looked deeply into Danny’s eyes as he spoke and Danny felt a slight flush cross his cheeks.  
Dylan smiled again and went on.” Let’s order some food now?”  
Danny sat down, picked up the menu and settled back comfortably in his seat, after all there was no hurry.

Thor ate a vast amount of food, dishes of every sort, earning the respect of the waiting staff and the chef.  
He enjoyed it all but missed company. He had felt pleased when he thought he had found Banner.  
Looking across at the other couple only made his misery more apparent.  
The young one had been annoyed at Thor hugging his friend.  
He had been on edge, nervous, now Thor could see he was calmer.  
The man, who looked so like his friend Banner, had put him at ease.  
While Thor watched, the young man talked, his hands gesturing wildly, fingers always moving.  
When he had finally stopped talking for a second, the older man had covered one hand with his one of his own, immediately the young man was still, relaxed.  
Their relationship was obviously more intimate than they admitted.  
Thor smiled. They looked happy.

The trip across country had been enjoyable but the loneliness deep inside had not been assuaged.  
He did love Jane, he liked the few friends he had made here but he didn’t belong, not here in this restaurant, not driving Stark’s flash car.

He didn’t belong here, he needed to return home.  
He wanted to dine with Hogun and Fandral and tease Volstagg about how much he ate.  
He wanted to battle with Sif and pretend he had allowed her to beat him.  
He wanted to return to his world, his realm.

 

The bedrooms of the hotel were filled with a large variety of people doing many different things.  
Some were sleeping alone.  
Some were shushing children to sleep.  
Some were crying.  
Some were shouting, angry voices bleeding through walls.  
Some were making love.

Jack and Lula were snuggled together satisfied with their evening.

Merritt was laughing at an insane movie called Zombieland, that he must have missed first time round.

J. Daniel Atlas was finally asking the right question which Dylan was answering truthfully.

Thor had returned to his room and after texting Stark to say where he had left his car, shrugged out of his clothes and stood before the mirror.

He held his hand out for Mjolnir and felt his cloak ruffle with a soft breeze.

He was Thor, Prince of Asgard, he was going to talk to Jane then he was going home.


End file.
